“You want me to raise it?”
Su Lin immediately understood what the giant panda was trying to tell him.
She wanted him to help raise her cubs.
The mother panda rubbed her fluffy, round head against Su Lin’s body and let out a low, affectionate growl.
Su Lin was stunned.
What was going on?
The livestream chat exploded.
“Hahaha!
The giant panda is actually letting Su Su raise her cub!”
“Holy crap!
Are wild giant pandas really this friendly toward humans?”
“This feels like a mother who hasn’t seen the father of her child in years finally finding him and forcing him to take responsibility!
Hahahaha!”
“Does anyone know what’s going on?
I originally came here to watch Su Su play games, but I was completely won over by this giant panda and Su Su’s charm.
I’m definitely following him now!”
“You’re not the only one!”
“+1!”
“+1!”
“Congratulations to Su Su on gaining so many new fans.
I’m genuinely happy for him!”
“Breaking news: On my first day as a forest ranger, I was kidnapped by a giant panda and forced to raise her cubs.”
“Congratulations, Su Su!
You’re a dad now!
Hahaha!”
The viewers were both amused and bewildered.
It was the first time most of them had ever seen a wild giant panda willingly entrust her cubs to a human.
Even Wang Yi, who was standing nearby, was completely astonished.
Was this really the same giant panda he knew?
Wild giant pandas were generally wary of humans.
Let alone allowing a stranger to raise their cubs, they normally wouldn’t even willingly approach people.
What shocked Wang Yi even more was that the panda seemed to understand Su Lin’s words.
In less than two hours since they had met, she had already become incredibly affectionate toward him.
Zookeepers often had to spend a long time building trust with pandas.
So how had this young man managed to win the trust of a wild giant panda so quickly?
Su Lin didn’t have time to think about that.
Keeping the cubs alive was the most important thing.
Still, he never expected the mother panda to actually ask him to raise them.
After thinking about it carefully, Su Lin realized that it probably had something to do with his Animal Affinity Physique.
The panda already had a favorable impression of him.
He had also helped her through a difficult labor, assisted in delivering both cubs, and even saved the weaker cub.
The mother panda might look adorable and clumsy, but she was clearly intelligent enough to remember who had helped her.
Su Lin stood there for a moment without knowing what to say.
Meanwhile, the mother panda continued circling around him.
She rubbed her round head against his legs and occasionally made soft, affectionate noises.
Every now and then, she looked up at him with her beady black eyes.
Her expression seemed to say:
“Will you take care of my babies?”
“Hahaha!
Why do I feel like Mommy Bear is acting spoiled?”
“Su Su, just agree already.
She seems completely attached to you.”
“Wow, I’m so jealous!
Su Su won the heart of a national treasure on his very first day in the nature reserve!”
“Hahaha!
Su Su, just say yes!”
Su Lin was genuinely conflicted.
After all, giant pandas were China’s Class I nationally protected animals.
He couldn’t simply take one home and keep it as a pet.
Wang Yi lowered his voice.
“Su Lin, you should take the cubs back for now.
Judging from the panda’s behavior, she seems determined to stay with you.”
“I’ve already reported the situation to the wildlife rescue station.
We’ll submit a report to the Forestry Bureau as well and see what decision they make.”
Su Lin nodded.
The giant panda seemed to understand that they were talking about her.
She glanced at Wang Yi.
Then she turned around, pressed herself against Su Lin again, and tugged lightly at his clothes with her paws.
Her expression seemed to say:
“That’s right!
That’s right!”
Wang Yi couldn’t help laughing.
Although the two cubs were currently healthy, life in the wild was unpredictable.
There were predators such as tigers and leopards, along with countless other dangers.
The mother panda had already struggled through a difficult birth, and taking care of two cubs at the same time would put tremendous pressure on her.
If she couldn’t properly protect both cubs, one or even both could die.
Besides, Wang Yi’s suggestion made sense.
They could temporarily care for the cubs while waiting for the Forestry Bureau to decide what should be done.
An adult panda could forage for itself.
The real challenge was keeping the newborn cubs healthy.
As long as they continued nursing from their mother, they should be fine in the short term.
Su Lin finally nodded.
“Okay, Mommy Bear.
I’ll help you take care of the cubs.”
“But you’ll need to stay with them for now.
They still need your milk, you know?”
The panda looked at him.
“Yingying.”
[I know.
I know.]
Su Lin took one of his own spare shirts from his bag.
He crumpled it into a soft nest and carefully placed the two cubs on top of it.
Suddenly, the cub he had previously fed with spiritual liquid seemed to catch a familiar scent.
It raised its tiny pink head and crawled toward Su Lin’s hand.
Its little body wobbled as it moved, making it look ridiculously cute.
“I want to raise a panda too!
They’re so adorable!”
“My goodness!
Can giant pandas really understand what Su Su is saying?
That’s incredible!”
“Su Su, I’m completely speechless.
Did you seriously never receive any professional training?”
“Nothing else to say.
Time to send some gifts!”
[Money to Burn has gifted the streamer 5 Rockets!]
[Money to Burn has gifted the streamer 3 Helicopters!]
The livestream was flooded with gift animations.
Roses, light sticks, rockets, helicopters, and various other virtual gifts appeared one after another.
That die-hard fan was probably watching the livestream from the shadows.
Whenever he appeared, the screen would be filled with extravagant gifts.
Longtime fans already knew who he was.
Brother Qian—the legendary AI.
The sudden appearance of the giant panda had attracted countless new viewers, and both old and new fans began sending gifts and tips.
Su Lin picked up the selfie stick again while carefully holding the two cubs.
He glanced at the livestream.
Then he froze.
The gift effects were appearing one after another.
And the number of viewers had already surpassed 10,000.
Su Lin hadn’t expected things to explode this quickly.
“Thank you, everyone.”
He smiled at the camera.
“I’ll take the panda cubs back to the ranger station first.”
After thanking his viewers, Su Lin picked up the supplies and prepared to leave.
But the mother panda suddenly stopped.
She tilted her round head as if she had forgotten something.
Then she looked toward the spot where Su Lin had left the spiritual liquid and apples.
She took a few quick steps in that direction.
After picking them up, she glanced back at Su Lin every few seconds, as if checking whether he was waiting for her.
Her adorable appearance immediately melted the hearts of everyone watching.
“Hahaha!
She didn’t forget her snacks!”
“Look at her!
She’s taking the food with her!”
“She’s so cute!”
Along the way, Su Lin carefully protected the two cubs.
The mother panda followed beside him, happily munching on apples and drinking the spiritual liquid.
She looked completely satisfied.
Wang Yi led Su Lin along a relatively quiet path.
After crossing the mountain trail, they finally reached the other side.
The scenery suddenly opened up.
Mountains surrounded the area on all sides, and a small house could be seen in the distance.
Through the drone’s camera, the viewers watched as two men and a giant panda emerged from the quiet forest path and arrived at a secluded courtyard.
The previous forest ranger assigned to this area had been gone for quite some time.
As a result, the courtyard had become severely overgrown.
Some of the weeds were nearly half as tall as a person.
Su Lin looked around.
There was a main house directly in front of the courtyard.
Beside it stood a smaller building that was probably used as a storage room.
On the right side was a large open area covered in weeds.
Next to it was a vegetable garden left behind by the previous ranger.
Unfortunately, most of the vegetables had been swallowed by weeds.
It looked like he would have to spend quite some time clearing it.
“Su Lin, someone cleaned the house a little before you arrived, so it should be fine to live in.”
Wang Yi pointed toward the courtyard.
“You can decorate the place however you like.
As for the courtyard, you’ll have to clean that up yourself.”
He laughed.
“It’s going to take some work.”
“Thank you, Brother Wang.
You’ve worked hard.”
Su Lin took out some water and fruit.
“Have some water and fruit before you go.”
After putting the supplies down, Su Lin pushed open the door to the main house.
The interior was extremely simple.
There was only a basic table, a bed, and a few other necessities.
Su Lin spotted a bamboo basket in the corner.
He placed one of his spare shirts inside it and carefully put the two panda cubs on top.
The cubs were tiny.
They barely filled a small portion of the basket.
Suddenly, one of them raised its pink head.
“Ying…
ying…”
It seemed hungry.
Su Lin immediately understood.
“Mommy Bear, come over and feed them.”
He called toward the giant panda waiting in the courtyard.
Then he pointed at the cubs and made a sucking motion with his lips.
The giant panda blinked.
She seemed to understand what he meant.
She walked over obediently and sat beside the basket.
She carefully pulled the two cubs onto her belly.
The two little creatures immediately began nursing.
Su Lin watched the scene quietly.
The giant panda sat against the wall, calmly nursing her newborn cubs.
For some reason, the sight made the simple ranger station feel surprisingly warm and peaceful.
Su Lin was just about to start cleaning when—
Ding!
The system’s voice suddenly sounded inside his mind.
[Congratulations, Host!
You successfully assisted a giant panda through difficult labor, gained the giant panda’s trust, and successfully saved both of her cubs.]
[Reward Pack obtained!]
[The reward pack has been automatically opened.]
[Congratulations, Host!
You have received:]
[Spirit Liquid ×10 bottles]
[Nature Brand Spirit Milk Powder ×5 cans]
Su Lin’s eyes widened.
He quickly checked the description.
[Nature Brand Baby Formula: Specially formulated for animal babies of all species and physical constitutions.
Each can comes with a feeding bottle.]
Su Lin was stunned.
Then he couldn’t help laughing.
This system really knew how to please him.
He had only just become a temporary panda caretaker, and the system had immediately rewarded him with baby formula.
It had even thoughtfully included feeding bottles.
Su Lin looked at the two tiny panda cubs in the basket.
Then he glanced at the mother panda.
His peaceful life as a forest ranger had officially taken a completely unexpected turn.
He had become a panda caretaker on his very first day.